Hello!

Oh, what a week! This is going to be a shorter letter. I'm sorry, but nothing has happened this week at all. We have had zero success this week. In TACOMA! Tacoma is one of the highest baptizing stakes in all of the U S of A, and yet, we're struggling. We fasted yesterday to help us with this. We prayed for five new and five on-date this week, and we're going to do five full 5-7's. Even though Elder Howard doesn't know...shhhh. Hah, ha, ha. I'm praying more earnestly and working on being even more obedient. I'm going to send RISK home, I've finally decided. It causes a lot of contention with me and Elder Howard (He's had a hissy-fit every time we have played, even when he has won) and he gets angry and is very rude to me. That's not a good way to have the Spirit with us. Oh, well.

I've been working on getting up everyday at 6:30, and have done a better job. Reckon, I sit on the chair and snooze for five or ten minutes but I'm working on getting rid of that habit. Repentance is tough. It's a constant battle and if you give up for a few days, the sins build up, and it's even more difficult to feel the Spirit. I've learned so much, it's incredible. I mean...really, there is so much I have to work on. It's constant. I figure that at the rate that I have grown on my mission, by the time I get home, I will have enough experience and growth be able to be a bishop...jk. No, but I am so grateful to learn more about how to be a better person. I have been told time and time again that what we're supposed to learn on Earth is things like: Kolob, and all of that crappy, stupid deep doctrine that I hate, oh, so much. But that's not true at all. All of these things are theories. And when we get to heaven, we'll learn them anyway. But what we are supposed to learn is character traits. Christ-like traits. How to be a better son and daughter of God by learning how to recognize your mistakes, fix them and don't do them again. Sins and non-sins.

It's been good here in Tacoma, although I like Olalla better. Elder Howard and I have a funny relationship. Sometimes, we're best friends, we joke, laugh and work so well together. But other times, we're at each others throats. Today is one of those days. We're both very opinionated and...well, sometimes I piss him off really badly. I feel bad. But he does over react. That's the trade off. We're both at fault. Anyways, we're good. Just right now, he's mad at me. LOL!

Brock: STARDUST!!! Didn't even think a fourth time about it. By the third time I questioned it, I knew it was from that movie. Score: 2-0 (right?) I've got a hard one. Mwa, ha, ha, ha. Good luck. "And I ran down the stairs and saw the portrait of the wife. There was a pair hedging shears stuck in the throat with blood gushing from the wound!" "AAAAAAHHHHHHHH!" (fat lady faints). I await your next quote.
Well, I'm sorry it's sorry this is so short. I just don't have a lot to report. I love you all. Dad, Mom, Kalie, Kevin, Isaac (Clark), Brock...and now Amanda, too, Alyssa and of course, Yogi. I love you for your support and love. Have a great week. Hugs, handshakes and loves to you all.

Elder Courtney Casselman


Still Alive